late apex is for losers ~~~~ driving technique for intermediate drivers:
 

** I wrote this on Trackhq.com, thought this might help some of you **

if you are a track noobie :noob:, stop reading now. This thread is not for you. This thread is for uber macho drivers. Go back to your hairdresser Miata........and read the other knitting forum for driving techniques.

if you are an advanced driver, then you already better than I am. you can also stop reading....

biggest issue I've seen intermediate drivers is late apexing. Their whole track experience revolves around late apex / exit speed.
They concentrate so much on exit speed, they park the car just before apex, so they can get a perfect drive out of a corner.
intermediate drivers are almost as fast or faster than advanced drivers on exit speed. what they lack is entry speed.

YES, instructors teaches late apex to noobs. I do that myself to my friends when I go on a ride with them. That's because I am sitting in passenger seat, telling you to take late apex (safe) so I can go home and see my kids at end of the day. Secret is out: late apex is for instructors (those with family)...

Stop looking at exit speed - use predictive instead (don't be cheap, Aim Solo is $400 - every time Oli flat spot his 1 tire). exiting at 100MPH (instead of 50MPH) means squat if you have to drive an extra 100 yards to achieve that or if the next straight is 20 feet long. minimum speed don't mean squat if you have to travel a longer distance.

I will give an example of tracks on a hairdresser car. yes, in real cars like a Corvette, you do take a slightly different line (but if you are driving a Corvette, you wouldn't be taking other peoples advice, would you?). but this will give you a general idea.

these are 2 SOCAL tracks, but most tracks are similar in numbers of early vs. late apex turns.

WSIR:
T1 - early apex
T2 - early apex (or early turn in)
T3 - early apex
T6 - early apex
T8 - early apex (in hairdresser car or Trackhq official track car)
T9 - okay, you do late apex here (at least for woosie like me)

BW #13CW
Sunrise - early apex
off ramp - turn in early
cotton corner - early apex
Bus Stop - late apexish
Riverside - neutral
Magic Mountain - early apex
Sweeper - early apex
Sunset - slightly early

shortest line: for those who autocross (not real racing as we all know), they would understand this. in autocross, you almost always take the shortest line between cones, think running a taut line between cones. exit speed matters in last corner coming to a long straight, but not much else.

disclaimer: if you start crashing - running out room at corner exit. I am not responsible. stop reading internet FUD.....

Haha, we discussed something similar in track classroom last weekend. Basically we had to pick one gear and drive the whole track in it. Line changes of course included driving the momentum line (ie miata) and apexing early to keep speed up. Most people...didn't seem to like it, but I dropped 2 seconds (on VIR-F) from the day before due to this exercise. I realized not worrying about shifting allowed me to get comfortable with faster entry speeds. This of course led to me following my instructor's suggestions about earlier apexes.

Thanks for sharing btw.

Fast in, fast out.

"Parabolic line" is what I've heard it called as. There was one place that even had the math. Anyway, seems trail brake and rotation at the apex is key. And a lot of alien sim racers do it.

shut up wtih this stuff, I need to win!

I heard that if you don't brake in a straight line, YOUR CAR WILL EXPLODE!!!

Confirm/Deny?

I thought this was obvious?

The school line is a lie.

True.

But you have to start somewhere. Instuctors want to live (those cowards!).